Modern Rituals Read Online Free PDF Page B

 
    College offered up one hazardous relationship after another. She learned all-too-quickly that men often sought very different things than she did, and that she must guard herself. She’d thought Jordan was different—clearly she’d been wrong—and now the idea of love stabbed her nerves. Perhaps the ultimate defense was to commit to a solo life.
    Jordan.
    They had met during Olivia’s senior year in college. Olivia stumbled into the uni coffee shop after an all-nighter and fumbled her way through her usual coffee order: “Hey Sam,” and “Yea, the usual” and yawn “Thanks” and she went to pile on a mound of cream in her cup when she knocked over a napkin holder. Embarrassed—she was sleep-deprived, after all—she dove to pick up the snowing napkins and smashed heads with a handsome fellow attempting the same. Lucky for her, she walked away with her reputation intact. Lucky for him, Jordan walked away with a date.
    A perfect year raced by. She graduated. He graduated. They saw only each other in their futures—and then Jordan’s mom grew ill. And, well, the rest sort of just happened.
    Now she had decided to stop whingeing and seek fulfillment in her work—in helping others. Focus on others, that’s the secret—forget about yourself since you don’t matter.  
    Whatever.

    Panic and pain drove Olivia. Her throat burned and a thousand bricks bore down upon her chest, forcing her to the floor—her cheek lay against the ground, its surface sleek and cool.  
    Where…?
    She vaulted upward, fists out and dangling, and spotted a man standing a few yards from her. She locked eyes with him, ready to strike—and then he blurred—she saw two of the man…two of the man—her head swam as clouds lifted the soles of her feet.
    Thud.
    A calmness—the type that approaches only after complete exhaustion—cradled Olivia. She floated in a warm bed—pain—she gingerly touched a spot on her head and smiled at the nice man holding her.
    Wait!
    She thrust her leg upward, catching the man in the chest, ejecting him from her.  
    “And just what do you think you were doing?” she shouted.  
    The man—a young man—coughed and sputtered, then said, “Damn… Dammit! I…was trying to see if you were okay!”
    He answered honestly, she could tell. Something about his large, brown eyes, as well as a weakness in his voice, told her so—this young man hadn’t yet accepted the responsibilities of life. He was but a boy inhabiting a man’s body—a cute boy, but a boy nonetheless. Nevermind that.
     
    The woman exploded into the gymnasium, stumbling on shaky legs. She pulled her head back and let loose a guttural roar that melted into a shrill, teeth-clenched howl and turned into a fit of sobbing. Her shoulders stooped as if an invisible lead coat hung upon them. She sank to the floor and curled into a ball.  
    James watched her.
    She jumped, frantically looking about the room like a parent searching madly for her lost child.  
    Her eyes met James’. He feared their savageness.
    The air between them brimmed with electricity. She looked like she might attack, but then her disposition softened. Her presence overwhelmed him, though she stood twenty feet away.
    “Are… Are you all right?” James said.
    The woman stared. Her expression blank. Then she passed out, crumpling to the floor like a rag doll. Her head made a sickening thump as it struck the ground.
    Oh, shit!
    James rushed toward her, took a knee and slid to within a few inches from her, which he’d later reflect would have looked downright cool if anyone had been watching.  
    She lay face up, pupils visible through slivered eyelids. He cupped the nape of her neck between his hands and laid her head on his knees. Her chest rose and fell in a steady, predictable pattern. He tried not to notice the rest of her shapely figure as he placed his fingertips to her neck and detected a rhythm similar to his own.  
    James did not know why he played doctor or what